


A Study in Yellow

by northofnorth



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 12:45:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19723930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/northofnorth/pseuds/northofnorth
Summary: "Walls don't just keep people out, Trini. They also shut you in."





	A Study in Yellow

**Author's Note:**

> was supposed to be fluff and angst (and it will come) but im in the mood to write a Character Development (TM) story and what better character to develop than our resident lesbian !!! 
> 
> (also an excuse for me to write down my feelings about coming out and hoping someone(s) relates)

Zack’s known for the longest time out of the rangers that Trini had a massive boner for Kim. Even if he had failed to notice the side glances and the times Trini had subtly asked where Kim was or what she was doing, he definitely noticed that they were training together, alone, with increasing frequency.

Training together in itself wasn’t all that suspicious, but this had been different. Zack had had a particularly tough day, and he decided punching simulated piles of rocks was exactly how he needed to blow off steam. Coincidentally, Trini and Kim had exactly the same idea.

By the time he strolled into the cave, Kimberly had Trini on her back and had her pinned, their faces inches from each other. Immediately, he had felt as if he had intruded on a moment.

But that feeling quickly dissipated, and he gladly (and quite cruelly) spoiled the mood.  


“Me next!” He had said, quite idiotically, grinning from ear to ear. 

As soon as she heard his voice, Kimberly relaxed, turning her neck to face him, and Trini used that opportunity to scramble out of her grasp, red-faced as her chest heaved. 

“Come and get it, Taylor,” Kimberly said, seemingly oblivious to the knowing look Zack shot at Trini.

Trini only scowled at him, unable to meet anyone’s gaze. “I’m going to head out, actually,” Trini said, almost to herself, and Kim looked like she was about to protest, but Trini was already out the door.

* * *

The next time Zack saw Trini, it was in the middle of the night, on her usual spot in the mines. She was doing yoga again, but this time she had no headphones on. 

“Want some company?” Zack asked, coming to a stop a few steps behind her.

“Usually no,” Trini said. Zack shrugged, content to leave, but then Trini put her leg down, and turned to face him. “But sure.”

They were used to this - spending time together at night. Zack still had trouble sleeping, and Trini still had trouble being. He had spent night after night talking about himself and his dreams and his wishes and everything in between, talking and talking and talking until finally, _finally_ , Trini reciprocated.

“You should really go to school, Zack,” Trini said, sitting down and dangling her legs over the edge. Zack joined her.

“Maybe next week,” he said.

Trini rolled her eyes, and was quiet for a moment, before she spoke. “It’d be nice seeing you there.”

Zack looked surprised, facing Trini with the most ridiculous expression. “Are you saying you, god forbid, _miss_ me?”

  
“Don’t be a dick about it,” Trini said.

Zack pouted. “Well you wouldn’t miss me if you weren’t hanging out with Kimberly so much.” It was a trap, Trini knew. He said it on purpose to get a rise out of her.

“We’re not-,”

“Hanging out? Training together? Seeing each other night and day?” He listed off, “In love? Engaged to be wed? Pregnant?”

“Zack.”

“I can keep going,” Zack said, face lit up in a boyish grin. 

Trini shook her head, and stared out into the vast expanse of the sky. There weren’t many stars to see, but she liked the peace and quiet.

“Remember when we first started all this?” Trini asked. “When you made us sit in a circle and talk about our feelings?”

“You’re making it sound lame.”

“It _was_ lame,” Trini said. “But it helped. And I… I told you guys about myself.” Zack nodded understandingly. There was something about the trajectory of the conversation that made Zack think something was wrong, and sure enough, Trini looked as if she was struggling to put words together in her mind.

Trini took a deep breath. “And you all said you were okay with it. But I couldn’t be sure. You can never really be sure.”

“Trini, we all love-,”

"No, listen. Everyone _love_ _s_ me, until I bring up a girl, or I like a queer movie or book, or I express interest in anything that they can't relate to," Trini said, almost angrily. "My own _mother_..." She shook her head. 

"Trini..."

“And then a week later,” Trini continued. “A week later, Billy gave me this pin that he made himself in his basement. It was pretty ugly,” she laughed to herself, and Zack watched her carefully. “But it was a pin of the pride flag, and I… I don’t care about that stuff, but I loved it. He said it he just had extra copper lying around and thought of me, and I loved it.”

Zack felt something in his chest hurt, listening to his best friend speak. He understood what she was trying to say, but he could never know how she felt. “We were lucky to have found each other like that,” he said softly.

“And I can’t lose…” Trini’s voice cracked. “If I do something wrong. If I _feel_ something wrong, and we lose this, I don’t know-,”

“I’ve got your back, T,” Zack interrupted. He nudged her. “Whatever happens. Black and yellow, right?” 

Trini laughed, blinking tears away. “I can’t believe you just quoted Wiz Khalifa at me.”

“I’m just hip like that,” he grinned.

Trini shook her head. Underneath all the Zack, all the mischief and infallible energy and all the _volume_ , there was a heart and soul in Zack that just always understood what Trini needed to hear. _I've got your back_.

“Why did you think I like Kim?”

“I don’t,” Zack said quickly, then changed his mind. “Well, I do. I had my suspicions, but that day in training was probably when I figured it out. When she pinned you down.”

“What?”

  
“Well I wasn’t surprised she tried to pin you, crazy girl,” Zack said, “I was surprised that you let her.”

“I didn’t _let_ her-,”

“I once pinned you down and you kneed me in the groin and threw me off,” Zack reminded her, “so tread lightly.”

Trini smiled, with her teeth this time, and Zack was satisfied that she felt better. They sat in silence, breathing in the air. Zack could almost hear the gears in Trini’s brain grind and screech.

“You know, if you like her, you should just tell her,” he finally said.

  
Trini visibly recoiled from the suggestion. “Terrible idea. Absolutely the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

Zack waited, but Trini didn’t deny that she liked Kimberly. And that was how Trini spoke, really. She never said things out loud. She let you come to your conclusions, and then confirmed or denied. Zack couldn’t even recall herself every saying out loud that she was gay.

And Zack, annoying and abrasive as he was, wasn’t a pusher. So Zack took her lack of denial as confirmation.

“Worse than see-through pants?” He said.

“I can think of a few people those would look good on,” Trini said, the smallest of smiles slipping through her poker face.

Zack paused, then howled with laughter. “Oh my god,” he said. “You perv.”

“Wasn’t _my_ idea,” Trini sang. She smiled fully then, without reservation or fear. It was the best version of Trini Zack knew.

And boy, did it take a while to draw out of her.

**Author's Note:**

> tell me what yall like and what yall hate!!! or u keep getting this same garbage every chapter lol


End file.
